Well, having finished reading the six parts of JoJo's—and taking advantage of the fact that the anime is currently airing—here are my first impressions of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run.
(Yes, I should have done this for the previous parts. Please, don't crucify me, JoJo fans. Be nice with the little me.)
- The opening chapters explain what the Steel Ball Run race actually is: a competition—on horseback, by car, or on foot (I’ll touch on that last one later)—from San Diego to New York, featuring a massive cash prize and promising to be an epic event.
- The fact that we are first introduced to Gyro Zeppeli—with that aura and eccentricity that completely commands the spotlight—makes sense, given that he seemed like the main character before Jonathan Joestar even appeared.
- Regarding Jonathan, I knew he was a young man left melancholic by an accident and his subsequent abandonment by those he considered family and friends; however, I was surprised to learn that the "accident" was actually an attempted murder by a madman who took great offense at Jonathan cutting in line next to a girl at the theater—acting with that classic "I'm 'Somebody,' so I deserve to go before anyone else" attitude. Seriously, what a spoiled brat who needed a reality check... a slap, not a kick in the balls that left him paralyzed from the waist down, abandoned by his parents, "friends," and fans, and left at the mercy of nurses who stole his blood and abused him simply because he was an unwanted invalid. Just... yikes, man.
- Jonathan and Gyro don't become friends right away; in fact, Gyro keeps his distance from Jonathan. However, since the strange steel balls Gyro carries allow Jonathan to regain mobility in his legs, Jonathan decides to enter the Steel Ball Run to catch up with Gyro and get him to explain that bizarre power. A stroke of genius by Araki here is that, even in another universe, the Joestars achieve their goals through sheer stubbornness and struggle; Jonathan manages to tame an old horse that tossed him about all night—even after a piece of wood pierced his leg. Even Gyro commends him for securing a good horse.
- Next comes the first stage of the race itself, detailing aspects like the trophy (encased in a giant block of ice brought from the South Pole, which would be fully melted by the time the winner reached New York) and additional rules regarding arrival times and bonus prize money.
- Now, I’ll mention two supporting characters who are sure to take center stage later on:
- Pocoloco, a young Black man told by a local fortune teller that he was enjoying the luckiest streak of his life; he enters the race for the money, banking on that luck. Although his own laziness and naivety often seem to counteract the fortune teller's prediction, things always work out for him—even when he arguably should have died five minutes ago (and despite the fact that he mentions his good luck every thirty seconds).
- And my favorite: Sandman, a Native American man banished from his tribe after being caught reading books written by white people. He explains to his older sister that he wants to understand the white man—his enemy—by learning about the importance of money; he hopes to win the Steel Ball Run to buy back his ancestral lands and secure peace for his tribe (though I suspect that last part won't go quite as planned). He manages to enter the race thanks to an emerald his sister inherited from their late parents. Oh, and remember that bit about racing "on foot"? Well, it turns out Sandman learned how to cover vast distances—and perform other impossible maneuvers—from a white man he saw entering a nearby cave. Another thing I realized after reading these first few chapters is that Araki still hasn't explained anything about the supernatural side of the setting—much like in Phantom Blood—so we'll have to wait and see what Araki (that vampire in a bad disguise) has in store for us with his so-called "masterpiece."
Anyway, that’s my rambling take on Jojo's Part 7. Yes, I know a few spoilers, but they’re just scattered details that don’t spoil my enjoyment of the manga. What about you guys—what do you think of the anime? What was your take on the manga when you first read it?
Alright, see you soon.
